Winona Fighter serves up an energetic show in Indianapolis

Up-and-coming punk-rock band Winona Fighter swung by Hi-Fi in Indianapolis on Monday, June 9th, as part of their 23-date ‘Yes Chef’ summer tour across the United States. Fans who arrived on time to catch the full show were treated to performances by Good Boy Daisy and Lips Speak Louder, two other female-fronted groups you’ll surely want to keep your eye on. Monday nights can be a hard night to sell, with everyone still recovering from their weekend adventures and getting back into the grind of the work week, but this wasn’t something that stood in the way of Winona Fighter who were happy to announce they had doubled their ticket sales since they’d played at this same venue last year. I’d like to extend special thanks to Becky from Big Picture Media for the invitation to this show.

Kicking off our night was Good Boy Daisy, an indie rock band hailing from Scottsdale, Arizona, formed by twins Dyllin (bass) and Hallie Mayes (vocals). Marked as one of Alternative Press’s ‘100 Artists You Need To Know’, the groovy-vibed group is worth checking out. They had great stage-to-crowd interactions, allowing a fan to call out her ex-boyfriend by name as a song dedication and encouraging the crowd to boo him. The band’s merch guy and co-writer, Michael, also joined them onstage to sing secondary vocals for a song, which got the room moving even more than they already had been.

As a contrast to Good Boy Daisy’s indie groove, the duo Lips Speak Louder brought a classic grunge-rock sound to the bill. Even though vocalist Rachel Brandsness had to pull double duty on guitar, she still delivered full energy to the crowd, especially during the guitar breaks that seemed to be her time to rock out. The two also had a treat in store for the audience, bringing out Coco from Winona Fighter to play a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeah‘s “Y Control” and get the crowd hyped up for the headliner to be onstage soon.

Unfortunately, Winona Fighter’s set didn’t get off to a smooth start, due to some equipment difficulties causing a pause before their set ever got started. Vocalist Coco Kinnon handled the delay like a seasoned professional, quickly turning it into an impromptu Q&A and gift-giving moment. One fan in the crowd even offered the band an invitation to their wedding, which the band neither confirmed nor denied if they’d be attending, but said they would play a song if they did happen to stop by.

With the difficulties quickly resolved, the show restarted back up again as planned, and the room quickly mirrored the high-speed energy given to them onstage. Since the tour was in celebration of the release of their home studio-produced debut album “My Apologies To The Chef,” fans were treated to a live playthrough of the full album – a fact that was met with many cheers as it was announced onstage. Along with the full album, the band played a quick cover of “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys, that way everyone had a chance to sing along to a song that night, even if they weren’t familiar with Winona Fighter’s discography. The raw, intense emotions you hear in the recorded album match the energy that you get from seeing the band live – or, I dare say, the live performances are even more over the top.

The fans also happened to be going over the top that night, with Coco commenting that she normally has to appoint a pit master to get something started. She did appoint a couple of them anyway, though, with the title going to a man named Christian (dubbed ‘Christian, not the religion) and his friend. The two didn’t have much work to do as pit masters, though, since they had already gotten the shoving-turned-mosh pit going earlier in the night.

Winona Fighter still has many dates left on this tour, and you should be sure to check them out if they’re stopping nearby – if the show’s not already sold out, that is. You’ll also be able to have a chance to catch their set if you’re headed to All Your Friends Fest, the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, or Vans’ Warped Tour in Orlando this fall.